The Empire Ravens will face off against the Sahuarita Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.
Empire came up short against Douglas on Friday, falling 42-21. The Ravens have struggled against the Bulldogs recently, as their game on Friday was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Despite the defeat, Empire saw an underclassman step up: Braden Krammer picked up 94 receiving yards and a touchdown. Those 94 receiving yards set a new season-high mark for Krammer.
Meanwhile, Sahuarita entered their game against Flowing Wells last Friday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. Sahuarita was outmatched by Flowing Wells at home and fell 47-16. The Mustangs' loss continues a trend for the squad, making it three in a row.
Although Sahuarita took the loss, they still got scores from Raul Velez and Carlos Martinez.
Empire's defeat dropped their record down to 3-2. As for Sahuarita, their loss dropped their record down to 1-3.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the trenches. Empire has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 148 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Sahuarita, though, as they've been averaging only 86.8. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Empire strolled past Sahuarita in their previous meeting back in September of 2023 by a score of 33-14. Will Empire repeat their success, or does Sahuarita have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
